The best choice for a 50" 1080p Plasma?

[RyanW2050]

Hey all, I just bought a 360 and i'm enjoying it on my 22" monitor... It looks really nice if i sit in my computer chair. But i'm looking forward to setting a up a pretty nice entertainment system for HD Satellite and Blu Ray content as well.

I decided that I definitely want to save the money for a 50" plasma instead of buying a cheaper TV and wanting another one sooner.

I make little money on internship, so cheaper is better depending on what I sacrifice.

Which way should I go?

 

[Blurry]

Really only two ways - Panasonic or Pioneer (though you better hurry - Pioneer stopped producing plasma displays a little while ago)

One I would highly recommend is the Pioneer Kuro PDP5010 Plasma Display.

1080P Native Resolution, some of the deepest blacks, very rich colors - it is probably the best bang for buck plasma you can get.

Can be had for around $2600 depending where you look.

 

[maxcaleb]

The Kuro 5080 is actually 720P, the 5010 is the old 1080p version (since replaced with the newer 5020).

 

[bigboxes]

Pioneer is still making displays. It's the glass that they are no longer making. Panasonic is now making the glass for Pioneer. Pioneer is making everything else and will be doing so for many years to come. There's more to a plasma tv other than the glass. What makes the Pioneer stand out is the video processors. The PDP5020 black level is so dark it's contrast is 5x the previous generation (PDP5010). There's really not any displays in it's class at the moment, although the Panny has improved as well. At around $3k it's more than twice the cost of most other displays. I would love to have this model and am saving my pennies.

 

[imported_grinder]

Samsung makes a pretty good Plasma also I got a 50" 5084 a little more than 2 years ago and like it a lot still it had 120hz when the others didn't. That and I liked the way it look better than Panasonic back then but is was hard to tell when looking at them in the display.

 

[imported_grinder]

Might also consider a projector that is 720p think they are a not to much now, use it for movies and your Xbox. then when you watch regular TV just use the one you have, I have read a lot about how much others love there Projector over a plasma makes it much more like you are at a movie.

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

Seems most people agree that Pioneer is best, but is expensive. Samsung and Panasonic seem to be tied for second place, with a slight edge to Panasonic it seems (at least from what I have read at AVS)

The 50" panny is ~$1400 now, which seems a much better deal then a $2500+ Kuro. For me, the Kuro is just too expensive.

 

[JackBurton]

By "plasma" do you mean "flat panel"? For flat panels you have two choices, LCD or plasma. And if you are budget conscious, take a look at Samsung's 650 or 750 series LCDs (52A650 or 52A750). They are amazing TVs and are cheaper than the Pioneers. For the people that put quality over anything else though, Pioneer Elites are the way to go. Regular Pioneer Kuros are fine (5020 & 6020), but Pioneer took out some user controls this year to set it apart from the Elite series. They have deeper blacks than last years, but their colors aren't as accurate. That being said, I'd try and compare the Samsung LCDs I mentioned above to the 5020 and see which one you like the best. Both are great TVs and I'm sure you'll be happy with either one.

Just a little FYI, Amazon has a GREAT deal on the 52" Samsung 650 now. ~$2200 with free shipping.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: Blurry
Really only two ways - Panasonic or Pioneer (though you better hurry - Pioneer stopped producing plasma displays a little while ago)

One I would highly recommend is the Pioneer Kuro PDP5080 Plasma Display.

1080P Native Resolution, some of the deepest blacks, very rich colors - it is probably the best bang for buck plasma you can get.

Can be had for around $2600 depending where you look.

I don't think your post could get any more inaccurate. First off, this is the last year Pioneer will be producing the glass for their plasmas. As bigboxes said, Pioneer will be making plasmas for years to comes. Secondly, the 5080 is a 720p display (768p to be exact). The 5010 & 5020 are 1080p.

 

[RyanW2050]

Originally posted by: JackBurton
By "plasma" do you mean "flat panel"? For flat panels you have two choices, LCD or plasma. And if you are budget conscious, take a look at Samsung's 650 or 750 series LCDs (52A650 or 52A750). They are amazing TVs and are cheaper than the Pioneers. For the people that put quality over anything else though, Pioneer Elites are the way to go. Regular Pioneer Kuros are fine (5020 & 6020), but Pioneer took out some user controls this year to set it apart from the Elite series. They have deeper blacks than last years, but their colors aren't as accurate. That being said, I'd try and compare the Samsung LCDs I mentioned above to the 5020 and see which one you like the best. Both are great TVs and I'm sure you'll be happy with either one.

Just a little FYI, Amazon has a GREAT deal on the 52" Samsung 650 now. ~$2200 with free shipping.

No, I meant plasma. I am under the impression that Plasmas had a much better picture (brighter colors, deeper blacks, etc).

These are the ones I have my eye on:

Panasonic VIERA 50" 1080p 480Hz Plasma HDTV w/Anti-Reflective Filter & Increased Contrast Ratio - TH50PZ85U
($1,900.00, free delivery)

SAMSUNG 50" 1080p Plasma TV - PN50A550
($1,800.00, freee delivery)

 

[Blurry]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: Blurry
Really only two ways - Panasonic or Pioneer (though you better hurry - Pioneer stopped producing plasma displays a little while ago)

One I would highly recommend is the Pioneer Kuro PDP5080 Plasma Display.

1080P Native Resolution, some of the deepest blacks, very rich colors - it is probably the best bang for buck plasma you can get.

Can be had for around $2600 depending where you look.

I don't think your post could get any more inaccurate. First off, this is the last year Pioneer will be producing the glass for their plasmas. As bigboxes said, Pioneer will be making plasmas for years to comes. Secondly, the 5080 is a 720p display (768p to be exact). The 5010 & 5020 are 1080p.

I know I know - I meant the PDP 5010. Sigh - just trying to help

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: RyanW2050

Originally posted by: JackBurton
By "plasma" do you mean "flat panel"? For flat panels you have two choices, LCD or plasma. And if you are budget conscious, take a look at Samsung's 650 or 750 series LCDs (52A650 or 52A750). They are amazing TVs and are cheaper than the Pioneers. For the people that put quality over anything else though, Pioneer Elites are the way to go. Regular Pioneer Kuros are fine (5020 & 6020), but Pioneer took out some user controls this year to set it apart from the Elite series. They have deeper blacks than last years, but their colors aren't as accurate. That being said, I'd try and compare the Samsung LCDs I mentioned above to the 5020 and see which one you like the best. Both are great TVs and I'm sure you'll be happy with either one.

Just a little FYI, Amazon has a GREAT deal on the 52" Samsung 650 now. ~$2200 with free shipping.

No, I meant plasma. I am under the impression that Plasmas had a much better picture (brighter colors, deeper blacks, etc).

These are the ones I have my eye on:

Panasonic VIERA 50" 1080p 480Hz Plasma HDTV w/Anti-Reflective Filter & Increased Contrast Ratio - TH50PZ85U
($1,900.00, free delivery)

SAMSUNG 50" 1080p Plasma TV - PN50A550
($1,800.00, freee delivery)

I'd highly recommend looking at these sets in person to see for yourself. LCDs produce whiter whites (brighter) but Kuros (not just plasmas) produces the deeper blacks. Again, check out a Samsung's LN52A650 or LN52A750 at your local BestBuy and see what you think of them. I think you'll change your perception of LCDs when you see it. Very good black levels and bright whites which produce a VERY vibrant picture. A Panasonic plasma in comparison may look dull. All I'm saying is just take a look at all your options and see what looks best to you.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: Blurry

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: Blurry
Really only two ways - Panasonic or Pioneer (though you better hurry - Pioneer stopped producing plasma displays a little while ago)

One I would highly recommend is the Pioneer Kuro PDP5080 Plasma Display.

1080P Native Resolution, some of the deepest blacks, very rich colors - it is probably the best bang for buck plasma you can get.

Can be had for around $2600 depending where you look.

I don't think your post could get any more inaccurate. First off, this is the last year Pioneer will be producing the glass for their plasmas. As bigboxes said, Pioneer will be making plasmas for years to comes. Secondly, the 5080 is a 720p display (768p to be exact). The 5010 & 5020 are 1080p.

I know I know - I meant the PDP 5010. Sigh - just trying to help

Sorry dude, didn't mean to get snippy.

 

[Woofmeister]

Can I chime in and say that Plasma is a bad choice for use with an Xbox 360 as appears to be the OP's intent? You will definitely get some major temporary burn-in playing video games with a plasma and you could even get some permanent burn-in which will not be covered by warranty and leave you with a useless panel.

Plasmas have made some major progress in reducing burn-in, but it still happens. Even temporary burn-in is going to require 24 to 48 hours of continuous full screen, full motion display to make it disappear.

I love the picture and rich deep blacks on my Vidikron VP-50, and it has a pixel shifting feature to reduce burn-in, but I still get temporary burn-in after only an hour or so of watching a program with the channel logo in the bottom right corner. I wouldn't dream of hooking up a video game system to it.

 

[imported_grinder]

If you have kids that will be using a xbox a lot. Or if you use the xbox for hours and hours at a time then even though the plasma tv's usually have a little better picture then go with a LCD or even a rear protection LCD they will never have a permanent burn in image. You can get a Rear Protection LCD for a lot less than a LCD or a Plasma but if you go to to one side to much you wont see the Picture very good. they also have some LED Rear Projection LCD now that keep you from having to replace the bulb and are very bright . LCD's have come a long way and are getting better all the time but you still will get the best picture from a Plasma at this time. I wont say this will always be this way though. Mitsubishi is even coming out with a LaserVue TV later this year. her is a link to it if you would like to see what it is about.
http://www.believingisseeing.tv/index.html
Tv's are almost like PC's now once you buy one they will be something better very soon after.
For a lot of good reviews on tv's check out AVS there you can get better infor on what tv you are interested in, and see what problems if any it may have.

 

[Rio Rebel]

There are some good points in this thread, but when you read it as a whole, you would be left awfully confused.

First off, Pioneer plasmas are awesome, but they are not "budget" plasmas. From your first post, I can't imagine why anyone would suggest one. Panasonic and Samsung are the two I would consider in your situation. In truth, neither of these are "budget" either, but they are the best of the group if you aren't in the "give me the best regardless of cost" category.

I do own a Panasonic plasma, and a Samsung LCD flat panel, and I really like them both. They each do some things well, and some things not as well, but neither have glaring defects that would make me warn you off of the technology. I would prefer to play my PS3 on the LCD, but because of placement issues, I use it on my Plasma downstairs, and I have no issues. I would also suggest that you don't leave the game running and the tv on for days, but that is common sense.

 

[CubanlB]

I'm personally very pleased with my pz85u, for the money it was an obvious choice for me. (reseller rebate made it an AWESOME deal.) the 80U is also a great option but the picture does suffer a bit with the lost contrast. In terms of image retention, "temporary burn in" it does not take 24 to 48 hours to get rid of, in most cases 30 minutes of hd content is enough to get rid of any image retention from either my ps3 or 360. Before my tv was broken in would retain almost any static image after being on a dvd menu or tv station with a station symbol for a short period but this goes away with time. I have viewed all these in person on numerous occasions and for the money the Panasonic always comes out ahead in my book.


Edit
Only complaint is the max res. accepted on vga input is 1024x768. But this is a pretty standard limitation on vga on tv's.

 

[RyanW2050]

I think i'm almost decided on the PZ85U. I DO want to play XBOX on it for 4 hours at a time, but i am willing to be careful with it in order to gain the plasma edge in terms of color and picture.

Cuban, how badly does it burn in after watching the news ticker or gaming for a few hours?

 

[Rio Rebel]

The pz80u and pz85u are $500 apart at Amazon. I can't see paying $500 for the differences in the two sets.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Woofmeister
Can I chime in and say that Plasma is a bad choice for use with an Xbox 360 as appears to be the OP's intent? You will definitely get some major temporary burn-in playing video games with a plasma and you could even get some permanent burn-in which will not be covered by warranty and leave you with a useless panel.
.

false.

I've played PS3 for long periods of time on my 42" Samsung PDP and haven't had a single problem with Burn-in...it really doesn't exist these days. And from what I've read and heard, at the current state of PDP development, burn-in is no more a problem with plasmas than it is with any other type of display. Most of this is based on word-of-mouth, my own limited experience, and professional recommendations. Granted, the only time I hear "burn-in" is from those trying to push LCD and/or haven't worked with plasmas after the first couple of generations....

Image Retention, sure. that still happens, but isn't a big issue IMO. Never should take more than 5 minutes or so to get rid of it. and again, I've only seen this with DVD/BD menus and never with video games, including the over-head displays that remain static.


as for the OP and other comments.

Go with a KURO if you can find a 1080p one for around $2k. You should be able to get the older model (5010) for that price, as it has been recently replaced. Just yesterday, Costco was selling the new 60" 1080p Kuro (6020, I believe) for ~$3800. This is the price that Best Buy had on the 5010 (50", 1080p) less than a year ago.

shop around, be patient. go with a Kuro, and you will never be happier, methinks.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: RyanW2050
I think i'm almost decided on the PZ85U. I DO want to play XBOX on it for 4 hours at a time, but i am willing to be careful with it in order to gain the plasma edge in terms of color and picture.

Cuban, how badly does it burn in after watching the news ticker or gaming for a few hours?

burn in is a permanent issue. Cuban is confusing Image Retention, which is a temporary issue, with Burn-In. Burn-in is essentially non-existent. well, unless you leave a static image on the panel for a day or more. You might get it then....but what kind of moran does that? Any type of panel could give you burn-in under those conditions. My uncle had an early generation DLP that has a Food Network logo burn-in issue.

Image Retention, for me, has been very low. as I mentioned earlier, I've only seen it on DVD/BD menus if I step away for a bit. That goes away after ~5minutes max when I switch to a full-frame image, though. I've only seen this happen twice in 2 years.

Most important thing is to allow your TV to go through the 50-100 hour weaning period if you get a plasma. I believe there are now DVD's that you can order and download that can help you do this at an accelerated rate.

 

[bigboxes]

Originally posted by: zinfamousMost important thing is to allow your TV to go through the 50-100 hour weaning period if you get a plasma. I believe there are now DVD's that you can order and download that can help you do this at an accelerated rate.

I've heard it referred to as the break-in period. It's recommended that 150-200 hours for using those DVDs and at certain settings. Still seems like a lot of time to have to just run your tv.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: bigboxes

Originally posted by: zinfamousMost important thing is to allow your TV to go through the 50-100 hour weaning period if you get a plasma. I believe there are now DVD's that you can order and download that can help you do this at an accelerated rate.

I've heard it referred to as the break-in period. It's recommended that 150-200 hours for using those DVDs and at certain settings. Still seems like a lot of time to have to just run your tv.

I've never heard more than 100 hours and most do it for 50. Also, those DVDs are designed to do it in 20 or less hours, I'm told.

When you do break it in, the reward that you get in the end: 10 years+ of superior PQ compared to present competing technology, is absolutely worth it. so, 50-100 hours for new TV = 60,000-80,000 hours of awesome goodness. doesn't seem like a lot of time when you take that into perspective.

 

[bigboxes]

I'm not saying that it's not important. I'm just saying it's a long time. When I do get that tv I will do a proper break-in.

 

[CubanlB]

Cuban is confusing Image Retention, which is a temporary issue, with Burn-In.

Um, I'm pretty sure I said...

In terms of image retention, "temporary burn in" it does not take 24 to 48 hours to get rid of, in most cases 30 minutes of hd content is enough to get rid of any image retention from either my ps3 or 360. Before my tv was broken in would retain almost any static image after being on a dvd menu or tv station with a station symbol for a short period but this goes away with time.

I've seen some serious burn in on MANY old plasma sets including a third gen zenith I owned for quite a while(not so serious, but on the older plasmas it only took one trip to the convenience store to get a permanent windows start bar). There is something really comical about a giant pink DirecTV symbol burned into a commercial plasma, but to each their own.

Moving along... The image retention is not noticeable while watching anything but the darkest scenes in movies or if you are just sitting there looking at a black screen. The difference between the pz80U and the pz85U isn?t huge, but try to look at both in person to see if the added cost of the extra 10000:1 is worth it to you.